Entries tagged with: ComicCon

A record-breaking number of Spider-Men, Wonder Women and preteen titans crammed into the Javits Center for the four-day New York Comic Con -- many of them in their costumed finest.

Organizers expect the attendance to surpass 150,000 by the time the convention wraps up on Sunday.

"It's the worst day to wear body paint in the rain," Susan Li, 29, who was covered head-to-toe in pink as X-Men superhero Blink, said Saturday.

"But when you have some hardcore fan recognize you as your character, that makes the two hours of painting yourself worth it."

"It allows me to be who I am inside" Cici James, 30, who owns her own sci-fi bookstore, Singularity, in Brooklyn, said of the chance to dress up in her very form-fitting costume.

Queens resident Julian Keller, 22, spent more than 200 hours with his father to create the perfect General Zod costume, which would have made Superman do a double take. - [NY Daily News]

The 2014 NY Comic Con happened over the weekend, bringing record crowds (many of whom dressed for the occasion) to the event -- the NYC edition is finally starting to catch up to San Diego. (It's still got a long ways to go, attendance-wise. UPDATE: actually, nevermind) We've got a set of pictures from NYCC in this post, but even more and larger versions are up on BV's Facebook for those who really want to geek-out.

One of the big anticipated events at NY Super Week was "SLIMED: A Night of Nickelodeon Nostalgic Nonsense" at Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday (10/10) featuring a live taping of Pete & Pete stars Danny Tamberelli and Michael Maronna's podcast, a segment on the music of Doug (a live performance by show creators Fred Newman & Dan Sawyer), and a live performance by Pete & Pete theme song band, Polaris. But less than a day before the event was to take place, the event has been canceled. There is good news, though, see below.

The sudden cancellation could have something to do with the Flavorwire interview with Matt Klickstein -- who was the host of the Super Week event and who wrote the SLIMED book about '90s Nickelodeon. You'd think it would be all fun and "remember when" interview, but it got into some thorny territory, including bashing of the current state of Nickelodeon, but also...race and sexism. An excerpt:

The reason Pete & Pete does so well is it's the best show from that era. It's the best show from that network! Hands down: the way it looked, the music, the fact that they got all these really interesting cameos... so the fact that it happens to take place in the suburbs of New Jersey, you know, it's a whitewashed area! There's nothing to be said about that. So too with Clarissa.

I think it's worse when they shove it in there. Sanjay and Craig is a really good example, which funnily enough is written in part by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi from Pete & Pete. That show is awkward because there's actually no reason for that character to be Indian -- except for the fact that [Nickelodeon President] Cyma Zarghami and the women who run Nickelodeon now are very obsessed with diversity. Which is fine -- do what you're gotta do, and Dora [the Explorer] was certainly something of a success, but there's no reason for [Sanjay] to be Indian at all. No one working on that show is Indian. They're all white. It's all the white people from Bob's Burgers and Will and Chris.

And there's lots more:

I think that it does the culture a disservice. If I were Indian or Jewish, for example, and watched something where the characters are Jewish or supposed to be, and if it's not specific to that, then I start to wonder, "Why are they doing this?" It becomes blackface.

They're exploiting this, they're using this thing, they're taking advantage of it. They're doing it just for that reason: "Hey, here is the Jewish character" or "Hey, here's the Indian character" or "Hey, here's the token black," which I think South Park does so amazingly well. For example, I've worked very closely with people with disabilities, volunteering, sometimes paid, and I love what South Park does.

There's much more to this interview and you can read the whole thing here.Some people are sticking up for Klickstein, like Trevor Eyster who played "Sponge" on Salute Your Shorts. He wrote a lenghty post on Facebook, saying Klickstein was a victim of "corporate interest and censorship":

The decision to cancel the event was made by Comic-Con. And while they haven't released a statement, it would sure seem like this is a case of a corporate entity not wanting to be attached to the opinions of another that would seem controversial, or unclarified....

...I am standing by my friend, because that's what friends do. I am asking all of you to deepen your understanding of the TRUE narrative here. And the true narrative is: Nickelodeon once represented the spirit of the anti-corporate. Now, while Nickelodeon didn't curate, sponsor or endorse this event --- all of the interested parties, are fans of its 90's "products". In order to hold an event of this size, logistically, there was a need for a Comicon. Comicon yanked its support at the last minute, and that's who you need to be upset with...

...You can be upset with Matt for a badly worded interview all you want - but it's not only unproductive, it's misdirected.

You oughta be PISSED OFF at the corporate heads of Comic-Con for pulling the plug from an old-paradigm fear-based profit-motive mentality.

This is a bummer for '90s Nickelodeon fans -- many of whom were coming from out-of-town for this -- but there is a silver lining as the Super Week event is now, basically, happening as two smaller, separate events on Thursday. First is "Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age" at Treehouse Theatre (154 W 29th St, New York,) from 6 - 9 PM, featuring the music of Doug with a live performance by show creators Fred Newman & Dan Sawyer and hosted by Nick Arcade's Phil Moore. It's $8 at the door and Super Week ticketholders get priority entry. More info here.

Then later Thursday night (10:30 PM) at The Bell House it's a live taping of Danny Tamberelli and Michael Maronna's podcast, The Adventures of Danny & Mike, with a live performance by Polaris. Tickets to that show are $10 and on sale now. AND, update: Danny Tamberelli "just wanted to say that I was really looking forward to a night of nostalgia and to hang with the fans of all things 90s nick. Sometimes weird stuff happens that you can't control. Polaris and the podcast want to try to create something out of the ashes like a Phoenix. (also a ginger ironically)."

Simsbury, CT may not have gotten any love, but Wallingford will experience a Flaming Lips invasion tonight (7/15). The spacey Oklahoma band is now on a tour with Spiritualized that vistis Oakdale Theatre tonight before leaving towards Pittsburgh. They play a 'Rock For Oklahoma' tornado victim benefit in their homestate on 7/23 with Kings Of Leon, Jackson Browne, Built to Spill and more. The Lips return to NYC in October to play two nights at Terminal 5 as part of a tour with Tame Impala. Tickets are still available for everything. All dates are listed below.

"The Sun is Sick", pictured above, is a new comic book created by Lips sicko Wayne Coyne. The press release tells more:

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne has announced the release of his first ever comic book, entitledThe Sun Is Sick. The adult-themed comic is a 40-page 6 ½" x 8 ½" full-color psychedelic fantasy in classic comic book form. It will go on sale at Comic-Com 2013 (at the San Diego Convention Center) beginning July 18th through 21st in an extremely limited print run and is sure to sell out. After that,The Sun Is Sick will be available through the official LIPS web store only beginning July 22nd where it will disappear fast.

WARNING!! The Sun Is Sick may be a comic book but make no mistake; this is not suitable for children and depending on what sort of person you are, it may not be suitable for some of you non-children either. If you have doubts at this moment then The Sun Is Sick is not for you. If you happen to be a LIPS fan that has enjoyed Wayne's beautiful artwork in the past and like adult-themed comic books then by all means this instant Collector's Item is waiting for you, but you better be quick.

The 2012 edition of the New York Comic Con returns to Jacob Javits Center on October 11 - 14, featuring four days of sci-fi, your favorite fantasy/action heroes, and costumes, costumes and more costumes. In addition, the 2012 edition will feature its share of big name appearances as well, including the cast of The Walking Dead, members of Robot Chicken and Children's Hospital, Elmo & Gordon from Sesame Street, Draco Malfoy (not kidding) and many others. In addition, you can kick-off the festivities with a concert featuring Ben Folds Five at the IGN Theater on 10/11, as discussed. Tickets for the Comic-Con are on sale.

In semi-related news, gamers know that when you play a video game enough, those songs stay with you until you find yourself humming them when you are far far away from your controller. If you know what I am talking about, this one is dedicated to you:

Featuring dynamic and compelling video accompanied by a live symphony orchestra, The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses brings the world's most popular video game series to life! Enjoy original music spanning 25 years of adventure from the celebrated Zelda franchise, uniting music and visuals in a way never before realized. Experience the magic at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, November 28.

The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses is the first ever video game themed concert to feature a complete 4-movement symphony, showcasing the work of Nintendo composer and sound director Koji Kondo.

That's right. Legend of Zelda. IN THE FLESH. Get stoked... tickets are still available.

Main, along with thousands of other hard-core fans in full comic book costume, packed the West Side convention center for the annual New York Comic Con.

Main and pal Liz Itaaliander took the train down from Massachusetts, bringing costumes for their characters from "Homestuck" - a comic where the characters are based on Zodiac signs.

But the dynamic duo only decided to dress up as Cancer and Virgo at the last minute.

"I'm not usually one to wear costumes in public," said Itaaliander, 23, sporting gray and green makeup with her high heels. "But when we were coming from Secaucus, we saw people on the train in costume."

The highly anticipated three-day show was sold out Saturday and Sunday. Last year's show drew nearly 100,000 people, and this year's was expected to do about the same. [NY Daily News]

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello has announced plans to perform at the Occupy Wall Street protest at noon [today] in Manhattan. Morello, who has previously performed at the Occupy Los Angeles rally, will play a solo set as the Nightwatchman.

"The Nightwatchman will Occupy Wall Street [today] at noon, adding one more voice to the growing chorus of millions demanding economic justice at home and around the globe," Morello tells Rolling Stone. "And I'll be playing some songs. Likely in the rain."

We get why the Rage Against the Machine guitarist would show up at Occupy Wall St, but why Comic Con? Well, Comixcorner.com says:

Tom Morello's graphic novel Orchid, which tells the tale of a 16-year-old street prostitute in a dystopian future, will be released in twelve issues through Dark Horse Comics will be on sale October 12th. Orchid features a variant cover by the well-known and influential street artist Shepard Fairey, with interior art by Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic).

"Orchid is part Suicide Girl, part Joan of Arc, who becomes the Spartacus of Whores in a story that merges the epic scope of Lord of the Rings with the politics of street terrorism." - Tom Morello

Headlined by DJ Z-Trip, the concert is free to all VIP's and 4-Day ticket holders BUT seating is first come, first served and will be extremely limited due to size of the auditorium and popularity of the event. Ultimate Access, Special Access and Anime Access VIP ticket holders will be guaranteed to get into the show first; then, 4-Day ticket holders will be let in until the auditorium is full. The concert is open to all 4-Day ticket holders on a first come, first served basis and we cannot guarantee that all 4-Day ticket holders that want to attend the show will be able to get in.

"I'm stoked and honored to be playing alongside Tom Morello at the New York Comic Con. He's one of my favorite guitarists of all time, and I've always admired the level of consciousness he brings to the table. This show is gonna be great. Can't wait to read his new comic too." - DJ Z-Trip

Tom Morello is appearing courtesy of Dark Horse Comics, New York Comic Con and Midtown Comics - who will be selling Orchid #1 exclusively at the Kick-Off Concert.

"New York Comic Con is just another one of those Javits Center events I end up seeing costumed people at. And I mean that with the highest degree of flattery to the Comic Con team, because their event is by far the best of the Javits Center CosPlay Excuse Events. For gamers and comic fans alike, the Javit's center floor was filled with exciting booths and opportunities to pick up swag and take pictures with scantily clad women.

This year, Comic Con merged with the New York Anime Festival, so there were a lot more characters I didn't recognize with blue hair and over-sized swords. Also - groups of girls dressed as anime characters that had very specific poses. CosPlay is interesting, but there's a line of specificity to the look of the character that separates American CosPlay from the obsessive Japanese kind." [Latino Review]

And this concludes our coverage of this year's New York Comic Con and Anime Fest which started with ONE, TWO, THREE sets of pictures (not to mention a related set from a concert at Irving Plaza). The fourth and final set taken at the Javits Center, with a bunch of videos, is in this post.

Naturally the new Tron movie was a hot topic at Comic Con this year, and Tron is definitely a topic that both sci fi and music fans are equally interested in at the moment. Because of Daft Punk of course.

"After an endless amount of anticipation, we finally reported that Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy soundtrack had a proper release date of November 22. Just two weeks later, that release date has been changed. According to a recent press release, it will now be out on December 7.

The announcement comes in the usual sci-fi speak that has accompanied all announcements for the project, citing "a recent system conflict" as the reason for the delay. When the record does come out, it will still be available on a normal CD and a deluxe version with a bonus download and a glow-in-the-dark poster available exclusively from TronSoundtrack.com.

To further whet your appetite, the site has also leaked another snippet of a Daft Punk track. All you have to do is head to the soundtrack's website and type in the word "derezzed" at any moment. You'll then be treated to a brief but amazing Daft Punk clip. Of all the new material, this is the closest to Daft Punk's signature sound so far." [Exclaim]

A Comic Con-related "Making of Tron" video with the rest of the stuff, below...

Ne-Yo teamed up with Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee to host a discussion at this year's ComicCon in New York City on Saturday. The R&B star and the the 87-year-old former president and chairman of Marvel Comics discussed their recent collaboration on Libra Scale, a comic book that Ne-Yo wrote to accompany his upcoming album of the same name. [RTT News]

You can check out our first two sets of pictures from this past weekend's con, HERE and HERE (both sets heavy on constumed attendants). The third set, heavy on celebrity guests (with video footage of Stan Lee and Ne-Yo), continues below...

"Watching Puffy Amiyumi on stage.
Not a fan, but they are doing really great out there." - Manga Therapy

"If your wondering why I'm still up at midnight.... I just got home from the PUFFY AmiYumi concert" - Stephanie???????

Puffy AmiYumi @ Irving Plaza

"[Saturday], I attended the panel for Far East to East Showcase (FETES), a concert taking place Sunday night at Irving Plaza. Performing at the show are Zazen Boys (not in attendance at the panel), Echostream, Boom Boom Satellites, and Puffy AmiYumi. The panel was moderated by a representative of Superglorious (actually, he introduced himself as Superglorious), the producer of the event.

All of the band members were shy at first, but they warmed up as Superglorious asked them questions. They talked about writing music, touring, American audiences (described as being "more direct than Japanese fans" by Puffy). Then the floor was opened to mostly dumb questions from the crowd. I doubt these musicians flew all the way from Japan to guess what character a guy was cosplaying. I shouldn't be rude; as my friend Kim Kindya, a 20-year veteran of these kinds of conventions, put it, this is the only chance these fans have to see their heroes. I should be more forgiving. But I did think it was stupid when one guy asked if Puffy were single. I suppose that was the directness Puffy mentioned." [shrinecastle]

That's a summary of what went down at the Javits Center on Saturday. The panel was part of the Anime Convention which is part of Comic Con which you can see pictures from HERE and HERE. A set of pictures from last night's related concert at Irving Plaza, continues below...

"Saturday's event was a sellout, which meant tens of thousands of people were jammed into the convention center. While elbowing my way through the food court I overheard a Javits employee remark attendance had reached close to a million people. It sure felt that way.

The amount of people in attendance was overwhelming, to say the least. But it was nice knowing the comic book and anime mediums are as popular as they are. I just hope next year organizers figure out a better way to simultaneously house both conventions.

One of the most fun aspects of going to any convention is the sightseeing while looking for the most inventive, creative and daring costume(s). Not to be disappointed, there were plenty of attendees dressed as such. I spotted multiple Zatannas, Deadpools and civilian-attire Wolverines. There were also several fans decked out in full Na'vi garb, blue body paint and all, and more than one Chun-Li roaming the showrooms. There was even a guy walking around in just a bath towel and carrying a stick of Old Spice deodorant. Talk about guts."
[Lehigh Valley Live]

Here's another set of pictures from the 2010 edition of New York Comic Con, many costumed attendees included (the first set of pics is HERE). They continue below...

"Pedobear, the Internet joke that sparked a full-blown media panic, [was] on the loose at New York's Comic Con this weekend, dancing to Michael Jackson and handing out candy. Somebody call the militia! Protect our kids from this dangerous threat!" [Gawker]

Pictures of Pedobear (that's not him above), and other sights from this past weekend'sNew York Comic Con (which took place at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC), below...

Japanese post-punks Zazen Boys, who last visited NYC in March '09, will be in New York soon for a pair of shows. The band plays Irving Plaza on October 10th along with Puffy Amiyumi, Boom Boom Satellites and Echostream. That gig has been dubbed "Far East To East Showcase" (it's being put on by promoters Superglorious). Tickets are on sale.

Daft Punk likes to play dress up. The Euro electronica duo is basically never seen in public without spaceman helmets clamped to their heads. It's a look that would not be out of place in a sci-fi flick like, say, "Tron Legacy," Disney's mega-budget remake of the 1982 original about artificial intelligence, a computer-generated world and Jeff Bridges in a skin-tight neon suit.

And that's just where Daft Punk will be when the new "Tron" hits theaters in December 2010. MTV News has exclusively learned that the group will not only be scoring the film--as previously revealed--but that they will actually appearing in the movie itself.

"They were in the movie," star Olivia Wilde let slip during an interview with Josh Horowitz. [MTV via Stereogum]

The previously mentionedScion Rock Fest on Feb 28th in Atlanta, GA boasts a COLLOSSAL lineup including Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire, Boris, Torche, Nachtmystium, Wolves in the Throne Room, Kylesa, Rwake, Pig Destroyer, and about a trillion other bands straight out of a Black Bubblegum fantasy.

Want to go? We have ten pairs of tickets AND ten copies of the Josh Graham-designed poster (peep it below) available for giveaway! Email us at BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with a subject line of "Scion" for your chance to win. Winners will be selected at random and notified on Feb 13th.

WHAT IS NEW YORK COMIC CON?New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. Our show floor plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Our panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. Our screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is a market place, bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world -- Gotham City.

WHEN IS NEW YORK COMIC CON?
Professional Only Hours:
Friday, February 6 -- 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

WHERE IS NEW YORK COMIC CON?
New York Comic Con is held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. The Javits Center is located at 655 West 34th Street. See our Travel page for directions and information about New York City 's buses and subways.

The Comic Con opens to the public at 1:00, and that is exactly the same time Mastodon will be appearing there. "They will be at the Namco/Bandai kiosk for the debut of the new Splatterhouse game at 1pm." I assume that means to sign autographs and pose for pictures (Meet & Greet), and NOT to perform.

In related news, "Marvel Comics was named Comic Book Publisher of the Year and DC Comics received eight awards, including Original Graphic Novel of the Year for its Joker Hardcover and Trade Paperback of the Year for perennial bestseller, "The Watchmen TP," at the 2008 Diamond Gem Awards."

Where will Todd Barry be on Wednesday (August 20)? He'll be performing with Sean Conroy and "VERY special guest" at UCB's free, weekly "School Night" show. Will Sarah be the guest again? Only time will tell.

June 18th @ Pianos. All I can tell you right now is that Dave Hill will be returning as one of the comedians. I think we have to wait until the day of the show to announce the rest of it - comedy and at least two bands. Save the date. Watch a video Dave Hill made at the recent New York Comic Con below.....